What is the Proper Wording of “Al HaMihya”?

As is known, the blessing one recites after eating a Kezait of foods whose initial blessing is “Mezonot”, such as cake or cookies, is “Al HaMihya”. The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 208:2) and other Rishonim write that the wording for the end of the blessing of is “Baruch Ata Hashem Al HaAretz ve’al HaMihya”. Nevertheless, Rabbi David Ovadia (Nahagu Ha’am, Berachot) and Rabbi Itzhak Hazan (Yehave Da’at, vol. III, 15) write that the Moroccan custom is to recite “Baruch Ata Hashem Al HaAretz ve’al HaMihya Ve’al  HaKalkala” and suggest that this custom predates the Shulhan Aruch, specifically in the Tur and Avudraham.

One difficulty raised with the Tur’s opinion is that there is a principle in the Gemara (Berachot 49a) that the ending of a blessing should not deal with two subjects. It would seem that when the blessing ends off “Al Hamihya ve’al HaKalkala”, it is dealing with two subjects and could therefore be problematic. Notwithstanding, the Ritva (Berachot) explains that in this blessing, both words “HaMihya” (sustenance) and “Kalkala” (nourishment) are both similar ideas and thus this blessing contains only subject of praise. Furthermore, although the Mishna Berura (Sha’ar HaTziyun, O.H. 208:52) states that the Tur and Avudraham’s opinion is a singular one, the HIDA (Birke Yosef), the Ben Ish Hai (Parashat Mas’e), Rabbi Raphael Elazar HaLevi (Pekudat Elazar) all agree that the blessing shold end off “Al Hamihya ve’al Hakalkala”.

It should also be noted that preceding the the closing blessing, the words “Venode Lecha Al HaAretz ve’al HMihya ve’al Hakalkala” are added. This also the custom of the Syrian and Tunisian communities.

Summary:  The Moroccan custom is to end off the blessing of “Al HaMihya” with “Baruch Ata Hashem Al HaAretz ve’al HaMihya ve’al HaKalkala”.

 

      what is the proper wording of al hamiya